Recreation
In MetroWest, we don’t always mean business! We balance our high tech with low stress, and that means that when we’re not working—or helping you get your work done—we’re walking, crafting, biking, kayaking, relaxing, and maybe just goofing around. In fact, visitors to major nearby cities find MetroWest the quickest, easiest destination for unwinding.
Miles of trails and gardens, five state parks, three major rivers, and two wildlife sanctuaries satisfy outdoor enthusiasts. On rainy days, try upscale bowling, ice or roller skating, laser tag, and even indoor mini-golf.
We’re good sports, too, with some of the country’s finest indoor facilities for hockey and soccer tournaments year-round, and outdoor stadiums for watching professional match-ups.
Every April, the Boston Marathon attracts tens of thousands of runners to the picturesque starting line in the MetroWest town of Hopkinton, stirring a contagious excitement throughout region.
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26.2 Foundation
P.O. Box 820, Hopkinton 01748
Formerly the Hopkinton Athletic Association, our mission is to promote and support the sport of marathoning, as well as health, wellness and economic development initiatives through strategic investments in innovative, multi-generational programs on local, regional, national and global levels.
Amazing Things Arts Center
160 Hollis St, Framingham MA 01702
508-405-ARTS (2787)
In its remodeled classic brick firehouse, Amazing Things presents the best in music (jazz, classical, folk, show), the visual arts (sculpture, painting, and other media), and theater (comedy, musicals, drama), all with intimate seating.
AMC Theaters
22 Flutie Pass, Framingham, MA 01701
1-888-AMC-4FUN
Ashland State Park
Route 135
Ashland, MA 01721
508-881-4092 (Summer), 508-435-4303
470 acres, including the 157-acre Ashland Reservoir, operated seasonally, providing opportunities for swimming, picnicking, boating, fishing, bicycling and hiking.
Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge
680 Hudson Road
Sudbury, MA 01776
Three-and-a-half square miles within the towns of Hudson, Maynard, Stow and Sudbury dedicated to migratory bird conservation, including a 5,000 square foot “green” visitors’ center with wildlife exhibits and nature store.
Belkin Family Lookout Farm
89 Pleasant Street South
South Natick, MA 01760
508–653–0653
Working one of the oldest farms in the country, the Belkins are dedicated to providing healthy family fun—picking your own fruit, train rides, burlap maze and hay pyramid. Live kid’s entertainment and face painting on weekends.
Boston Marathon Start
Boston Athletic Association
40 Trinity Place, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
617-236-1632
Join the cheering spectators who line the route of the Boston Marathon—the world’s oldest annual long-distance running event—on the third Monday of April (Patriots Day in Massachusetts)—as 20,000 runners make their way across our region—from the start in Hopkinton, through Ashland, Framingham and Natick, on their way to downtown Boston. You’ll be able to see the race “up close and personal” in these MetroWest towns because groups of spectators are much smaller than crowds gathered near the finish. It’s a family-friendly event as we cheer on local runners as well as marathoners from every state and around the world.
See the exciting Boston Marathon start on YouTube.
Boston Rockhoppers Pro Lacrosse
New England Sports Center ,
121 Donald Lynch Blvd.
Marlborough 01752
1-888-663-3729
The season for Boston’s newest professional sports team runs January 12–March 16, 2013. Six games of exciting indoor men’s lacrosse, played at New England Sports Center!
Bowditch Field
Renovated in 2010, the field is located on Union Avenue midway between Downtown and Framingham Center and has been the main athletic facility for the town since being built the Great Depression of the 1930s as a WPA project.
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
280 Eliot Street
Natick, MA 01760
508-655-2296
Rich in both wildlife and history with a diverse terrain, including the Charles River, nine miles of trails, and a nature center. Three short hikes featuring a red maple swamp, a pond, a glacial-deposit hill, flowering annuals, and wildlife sightings.
Bungay Brook Golf Club
30 Locust Street
Bellingham, MA 02019
508 883 1600
Callahan State Park
Millwood St.
Framingham, MA
508-653-9641
An 820-acre day use area with seven miles of marked trails and activities including fishing, hiking, horseback riding (horses not provided) and cross-country skiing.
Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN)
14 Summer Street, Natick, MA 01760
508-647-0097
TCAN is one of the best-loved concert venues in Metrowest, where national acts like Peter Wolf, Joan Osborne, Paula Poundstone, Tom Rush, Shawn Colvin or The Smithereens perform on any given weekend. A busy calendar of community events includes theatre productions, family concerts, open mike nights, teen “all-ages” shows and arts education programs.
Cochituate State Park
43 Commonwealth Ave.
Natick, MA
Day use, featuring water-based recreational opportunities, including boating, swimming, windsurfing, and fishing on its three large lakes.
Concord Museum
Cambridge Turnpike at Lexington Road, Concord, MA 01742
978-369-9763
Exploring historic Concord? A visit to the Concord Museum provides an inspiring gateway to this famous town. Treasures include the 1775 Revere lantern, Thoreau’s Walden desk and Emerson’s Study. Enjoy engaging, self-touring history galleries, family-friendly activities, and distinctive special exhibitions.
